Several risk scoring and ranking methods have been applied for the prioritization of micropollutants, including pesticides, and in the selection of pesticides to be regulated regionally and nationally. However, the effectiveness of these methods has not been evaluated in Japan. We developed a risk prediction method to select pesticides that have a high probability of being detected in drinking water sources where no monitoring data is available. The risk prediction method was used to select new pesticides for the 2013 Primary List in the Japanese Drinking Water Quality Guidelines. Here, we examined the effectiveness of the method on the basis of the results of water quality examinations conducted by water supply authorities across Japan, and studied ways to improve the risk prediction method. Of the 120 pesticides in the 2013 Primary List, 80 were detected in drinking water sources (raw water entering water treatment plants). The rates of detection of the newly selected pesticides and previously listed pesticides were not significantly different 64% and 68%, respectively. When the risk predictor was revised to incorporate degradability of dry-field pesticides and current pesticide sales data, the rate of detection of pesticides selected as having a high risk of detection improved from 72% to 88%. We prepared regional versions of the Primary List using the revised risk predictors and verified their utility. The number of listed pesticides varied greatly by region, ranging from 32 to 73; all regional lists were much shorter than the national Primary List. In addition, 55% to 100% of the pesticides detected in each region were included in a Regional Primary List. This work verifies the ability of the risk prediction method to screen pesticides and select those with a high risk of detection.Current research is increasingly focusing on the ecotoxicity of anthropogenic micro-pollutants and their degradation and transformation products resulting from biological and chemical treatment processes. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/m4205-idrx-42.html These products enter the aquatic environment through various routes and may endanger aquatic organisms and plants. In this study, five neonicotinoids from the EU watchlist and their degradation products induced by UVC irradiation were examined. All identified photoinduced degradation or transformation products were subsequently submitted to Quantitative Structure Activity (QSAR) analysis. Among the investigated structures, 15 substances already identified in previous studies and eleven new transformation products were analyzed. By using QSAR analysis, it became possible to predict ecotoxicity of individual substances with mere computational effort. Starting from the chemical structure, lower toxicity against green algae and invertebrates was predicted for the transformation products in general. For other aquatic target organisms, such as branchiopoda, actinopterygii and fathead minnow, the residual hazardous effect as compared to the initial compound depends on the presence of specific structural elements. For the neonicotinoids investigated, the cleavage or elimination of the nitrile or nitro group through the degradation process, was predicted to increase toxicity.We have analyzed potential harmful trace elements (PHTE; Pb, Hg, Zn, As and Cu) on sediment cores retrieved from lake Marboré (LM) (2612 m a.s.l, 42°41'N; 0° 2'E). PHTE variability allowed us to reconstruct the timing and magnitude of trace metal pollutants fluxes over the last 3000 years in the Central Pyrenees. A statistical treatment of the dataset (PCA) enabled us to discern the depositional processes of PHTE, that reach the lake via direct atmospheric deposition. Indeed, the location of LM above the atmospheric boundary layer makes this lake an exceptional site to record the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants in the free troposphere. Air masses back-trajectories analyses enabled us to understand the transport pathways of atmospheric pollutants while lead isotopic analyses contributed to evaluate the source areas of metal pollution in SW Europe during the Late Holocene. PHTE variability, shows a clear agreement with the main exploitation phases of metal resources in Southern Europe during the eir future degradation.Wetlands provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including supplying the food and shelter for a rich assemblage of waterbirds and providing the stopover sites that allow birds to make migratory journeys. Human impact and the ongoing climate change are however reducing the ability of wetlands to provide such important services. Through field surveys, GIS analyses and climate projections, we assessed the status of, and threats to, 38 largest wetlands belonging to the Mediterranean bird flyways in Sardinia and Sicily (Italy). We then combined ten decision criteria about avifaunal diversity and human/climate threats in order to prioritize the studied wetlands from most to least worthy of urgent interventions. Results showed that the main wetlands of these two regions have distinct demands with regard to the kind of actions required, going from the mitigation of tourism pressure to the prevention of climate-induced water shortage in summer. Furthermore, clear priorities for interventions emerged in both regions. Our study has direct implications for managers and researchers attempting to assess wetland conditions and set conservation priorities, thus offering a tool for deciding urgent interventions on the main stopover sites along the Mediterranean bird flyways.Trace metals such as Cu, Hg, and Zn have been widely investigated in marine ecotoxicological studies considering their bioaccumulation, transfer along trophic webs, and the risks they pose to ecosystems and human health. Comparatively, Li has received little attention, although this element is increasingly used in the high-tech, ceramics/glass, and medication industries. Here, we report Li concentrations in more than 400 samples, including whole organisms and different organs of bivalves, cephalopods, crustaceans, and fish. We investigated species from three contrasting biogeographic areas, i.e. temperate (Bay of Biscay, northeast Atlantic Ocean), tropical (New Caledonia, Pacific Ocean), and subpolar climates (Kerguelen Islands, southern Indian Ocean), among diverse trophic groups (filter-feeders to meso-predators) and habitats (benthic, demersal, and pelagic). Although Li is homogeneously distributed in the ocean (at 0.18 μg/mL), Li concentrations in soft tissues vary greatly, from 0.01 to 1.20 μg/g dry weight.